CenturyLink How to Forward Calls (Easy 2026 Guide)

By SalesCaptain Team · Updated September 2, 2026

You’re trying to forward calls on your CenturyLink line. The instructions feel ancient. Maybe you’re heading out of town, switching offices, or just want calls to ring your cell instead. Whatever the reason, CenturyLink how to forward calls should take thirty seconds—but it often turns into a frustrating guessing game. Sound familiar? This guide breaks down every method, explains when each one makes sense, and covers what to do if basic call forwarding isn’t enough for how your business actually operates.

CenturyLink call forwarding redirects incoming calls from your CenturyLink number to another phone automatically. You can set it up in seconds through your online account, phone menu, or contact customer service. Choose unconditional forwarding to redirect all calls, or conditional forwarding to redirect only when busy or unanswered.

What Is Call Forwarding on CenturyLink?

Call forwarding redirects incoming calls from one number to another. Simple concept. On CenturyLink (now operating under the Lumen Technologies brand for many business accounts), it’s a standard feature available on most landline and VoIP plans. Once activated, any call to your CenturyLink number rings at the forwarding destination instead.

But there’s more to it. Unconditional forwarding sends every call, no exceptions. Conditional forwarding only kicks in when your line is busy, unanswered, or unreachable. CenturyLink supports both, though the exact options depend on whether you’re on a traditional copper landline, a fiber-based service, or a business VoIP plan. Which type you’ve got matters because the activation steps differ.

How to Set Up Call Forwarding on CenturyLink Step by Step

The process depends on your CenturyLink service type. Here are the three most common methods.

Star Code Method for Landlines

If you’re on a traditional CenturyLink landline or fiber phone line, star codes are the fastest route. Pick up your phone, listen for a dial tone, then follow these steps:

• Activate forwarding: Dial *72, then enter the 10-digit number you want calls sent to. Wait for a confirmation tone or a short ring at the destination number. Once you hear it, hang up. Forwarding is now active.
• Deactivate forwarding: Dial *73 and wait for the confirmation tone. Your calls will ring your CenturyLink line again.
• Busy-line forwarding: Dial *90 followed by the destination number. This only forwards when your line is already in use. Deactivate with *91.
• No-answer forwarding: Dial *92 followed by the destination number. Calls forward only if you don’t pick up within a set number of rings. Deactivate with *93.

Here’s the catch: you need to complete the activation from the CenturyLink line itself. You can’t dial *72 from your cell phone and expect your landline to forward. And if the destination number doesn’t answer during setup, the activation may fail silently. Try again and make sure someone picks up or that voicemail answers at the forwarding number.

Online Account Portal

CenturyLink business customers with VoIP or managed voice services often have access to an online portal. Log in to your CenturyLink or Lumen account and navigate to your voice settings. Look for call management or call forwarding options. From there, you can toggle forwarding on or off and set the destination number without touching your desk phone.

Not all account types show these controls. If you don’t see call forwarding in your portal, your plan may require phone-based activation or a call to CenturyLink support to enable the feature.

Contacting CenturyLink Support

For complex setups, calling CenturyLink’s business support line is often fastest. Think forwarding to multiple numbers sequentially or adding forwarding to a plan that doesn’t currently include it. Be prepared with your account number and the destination number you want. Keep in mind that adding call forwarding may carry a monthly charge depending on your plan tier.

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

Even straightforward features go sideways sometimes. Here are the issues CenturyLink users run into most often, plus fixes that actually work.

Forwarding Won’t Activate

If you dial *72 and nothing happens, check your plan. Some basic residential and legacy business plans require you to add call forwarding as a paid feature before the star codes work. A quick call to support will confirm whether it’s active on your account.

Calls Go to Voicemail Instead of the Forwarded Number

This happens because no-answer forwarding and voicemail are fighting over the same unanswered call. CenturyLink’s voicemail picks up first. The forwarding rule never gets a chance. You might need to adjust the ring count in your voicemail settings so forwarding has time to activate. Or switch to unconditional forwarding (*72) so voicemail never enters the picture.

You Forgot to Turn It Off

It’s surprisingly common. You forward calls for a weekend trip and forget about it. Spend Monday wondering why your office phone is silent. Set a calendar reminder to dial *73 when you’re back. Better yet, use a system that handles routing rules automatically so you don’t rely on memory.

Long-Distance Forwarding Charges

Forwarding to a number outside your local calling area can get expensive fast. Every forwarded call is billed as if you placed an outgoing call to that number. For businesses that forward frequently, these costs pile up. Lumen’s business structure has shifted heavily toward enterprise fiber and cloud services, so legacy landline users sometimes feel these costs disproportionately.

Why Call Forwarding Alone Isn’t Enough for Most Businesses

Call forwarding solves one narrow problem. It routes a call from point A to point B. But for small businesses across the country, the real challenge isn’t where the call rings. It’s whether anyone answers.

Forwarding to your cell works until you’re in a meeting, on another call, or simply can’t pick up. Then the caller hits voicemail. And research on the cost of missed calls shows that most callers won’t leave a message. They’ll call your competitor instead. According to recent data on missed call economics, the revenue impact of unanswered calls is significant, particularly for service businesses where each inbound call can represent a high-value job or appointment.

Forwarding also doesn’t help with after-hours coverage, weekends, or holidays. A Verizon survey on small business trends found that customer expectations for responsiveness keep climbing year over year. Yet most small businesses still can’t staff phones around the clock. Forwarding to a personal cell isn’t a real solution when the call volume exceeds what one person can handle.

Then there’s the follow-up gap. Even when a forwarded call gets answered, there’s no automatic record in your CRM. No transcript. No way to trigger a follow-up text or reminder. Forwarding is a dumb pipe. It moves the call but adds zero intelligence.

How SalesCaptain Helps

If you’re setting up CenturyLink call forwarding because you’re tired of missing calls, it’s worth asking whether forwarding is actually the right tool. SalesCaptain’s AI Phone Agent answers every call 24/7 with a natural-sounding voice, books appointments, qualifies leads, answers FAQs, and blocks spam. No need to forward calls to your cell and hope you’re available.

Here’s what changes when you move beyond basic forwarding:

• After-hours capture: Calls at 9 PM on a Saturday get answered and handled, not sent to voicemail.
• AI transcription and summaries: Every conversation is transcribed and summarized so your team knows exactly what happened without listening to recordings.
• Missed call text-back: If a call does slip through, SalesCaptain automatically sends a text to the caller so you don’t lose the lead.
• Custom call flows: A drag-and-drop builder lets you route calls based on time of day, caller type, or department. No star codes required.
• Unified inbox: Calls, texts, webchat, and social DMs all land in one place so your team isn’t bouncing between apps.

For businesses on CenturyLink plans that charge per-minute for forwarded calls, SalesCaptain’s AI Phone Agent at $0.12 per minute can actually reduce costs while dramatically improving the caller experience. And because it integrates with tools like the broader ecosystem of AI answering services, you aren’t locked into a single carrier’s limited feature set.

Key Takeaways

Setting up call forwarding on CenturyLink is straightforward once you know the star codes. Dial *72 to activate, *73 to deactivate. Use *90 or *92 for conditional forwarding. The online portal or a support call handles anything the star codes can’t.

But forwarding is a band-aid for a bigger problem. It doesn’t answer calls, qualify leads, or follow up with missed callers. For service businesses that rely on inbound calls to drive revenue, the gap between “forwarded” and “handled” is where customers slip away. Modern tools like AI phone agents close that gap entirely. They answer every call with consistency, capture every detail, and make sure no opportunity goes silent. The real question isn’t how to forward your calls. It’s whether forwarding is still the best you can do.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does CenturyLink charge extra for call forwarding?

It depends on your plan. Many CenturyLink business plans include basic call forwarding. Some legacy and residential plans require adding it as a paid feature. Forwarding to long-distance numbers can also incur per-minute charges. Check your plan details or call support to confirm.

Can I forward my CenturyLink calls to a cell phone?

Yes. Dial *72 from your CenturyLink line followed by your cell phone’s 10-digit number. Wait for a confirmation tone, then hang up. All incoming calls will ring your cell until you deactivate forwarding with *73.

How do I forward calls only when my CenturyLink line is busy?

Use the *90 star code followed by the destination number. This activates busy-line forwarding. Calls only redirect when your CenturyLink line is already in use. Deactivate it by dialing *91.

What happens if I forward calls and the destination number doesn’t answer either?

The call typically goes to whichever voicemail is set up at the destination number. CenturyLink’s own voicemail won’t catch it because the call’s already been handed off. If the destination has no voicemail, the caller hears continuous ringing or a network message.

Is there a way to forward CenturyLink calls to multiple numbers?

Basic star-code forwarding only supports one destination at a time. For sequential or simultaneous ringing across multiple numbers, you’d need a more advanced phone system with call flow routing. AI receptionist platforms and modern VoIP systems offer this as a standard feature.